


History Repeating

by DreamingAboutTaron



Category: British Actor RPF
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Flashbacks, Pregnancy, Protective Parents, Teen Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:42:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29882682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamingAboutTaron/pseuds/DreamingAboutTaron
Summary: Gracie Egerton was 16 years old. She had always been the perfect student and the most perfect daughter. But all of this was about to change. As she looked down at the line of positive pregnancy tests a tear slipped down her cheek. This couldn’t be happening. You were too young. How were you going to tell your parents? You had always been Taron’s little girl. How was he going to react?
Relationships: Taron Egerton/Original Character(s), Taron Egerton/Original Female Character(s), Taron Egerton/You





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my new fanfic, I would really appreciate some feedback! Thank you!

Warning: Mentions of Teenage Unplanned Pregnancy

Shit, shit, shit, shit! I know that swearing isn’t helping but, fuck, I’ve had enough, this waiting isn’t getting better.

A single tear slipped down your cheek; causing you to squeeze your eyes tightly shut. This couldn’t be happening. You were too young. It had been a mistake. This was going to turn your whole life upside down. You had been to a party with some friends, they had convinced you to have your first alcoholic drink, then another, and another, resulting in you waking up the next morning half dressed in some strangers bed. You hadn’t thought much of it, until you noticed how late your period was getting.

You were anxiously waiting for the three minutes to be up to tell whether or not your life was going to change forever. Tapping your fingernails against the counter top, as you looked down at the small white stick. You close your eyes and count to five in an attempt to remind yourself everything was going to be fine. Just relax, take a moment to inhale before your life ‘could’ start to derail. The future was still bright! You still had so much time! Why should you be so scared of those two little lines?

“Come on.” You hissed growing impatient as each second passed. “Please! Come on. Come on.” Relief washing over you as you finally heard your phone vibrate next to you. “Okay.” You said to yourself as you took a deep soothing breath attempting to compose yourself. As you flipped the stick over, your heart plummeted to the floor. Positive. At 16. “Oh god. No! No, no, no!” You gasped as tears filled your eyes. You brought your hand to your mouth to suppress your loud sobs. The bathroom walls felt like they were coming in and crushing you. You stood in shock. Eyes never leaving the test and its two little lines.

Taron had heard his daughters cries from his office, and quickly got up to go and investigate. Your sobs got louder as he approached the bathroom. He stood outside for a moment as he listened. His heart broke at the sound. You were his daughter, his world, and he hated hearing you like this. As a father, he wanted to protect you at every cost.

“Gracie? Is everything okay?” He asked quietly, testing the waters. You jumped at the sound of your fathers voice. You looked up at yourself in the mirror, your face was red and tear stained. “Grace? Sweetheart, can you open the door? Baby, please?” He asked as he gently knocked on the door.

You panicked and turned on the cold tap, throwing freezing water over your face trying to fix yourself. You picked up the pregnancy test and shoved it up your jumper sleeve before opening the door and coming face to face with your father, who had a concerned look on his face.

Throughout your childhood, Taron had always been strict with you, only wanting what was best for you and your future. When you were young, the two of you were best friends, inseparable! You were attached to his hip every moment that he was home. You’d spend Saturday afternoons together playing games, taking walks, and telling you stories of your mother and of his childhood. As you grew older you would always check up on one another, making plans between you two, as fathers and daughters should. However, over the past couple of months, you had become distant. You felt like he was always off with work leaving you alone with your mum. You had always been Taron’s little girl, which often caused arguments between yourself and your mother.

You looked up at Taron, trying to disguise your feelings. But Taron knew something was wrong. “Gracie? What’s the matter? Talk to me?” Your heart rate went flying at his words. You wanted nothing more for him to comfort you and tell you everything was going to be okay. But you couldn’t. You didn’t want to break his heart. Not yet.

Your parents, Taron and Lily, had had you when they were only young themselves. They had been together for only a few months before they found out that Lily was pregnant. It had been a shock for them both, especially considering Taron had just started his acting training at RADA and Lily had just started her Fine Art course at Goldsmiths University. Lily pulled out of university and got a part time job, whilst Taron continued on with his studied at RADA but also worked as often as he could. After the initial shock, he couldn’t wait to be a dad. He had always helped to raise his two younger sisters, and he now couldn’t wait to have his own. Especially with Lily.

As you grew older, Taron had always been open and honest with you about the rollercoaster journey of parenthood, especially at such a young age. Constantly discouraging you from boys and dating until you were a little older. But you’d always known how badly he wanted to have grandchildren. Being the only child, you knew that responsibility fell to you. But nobody would have ever expected it to happen so soon.

You had always been a rule follower. You loved school. You had a wonderful group of friends and a wonderful life at home. You had been spoilt rotten. You had travelled the world at such an early age watching your father work. He had taught you how to ski when he was filming Eddie the Eagle and he had also taught you how to use a bow and arrow when he was filming Robin Hood. You had met so many talented and inspiring people due to him and you couldn’t thank him enough. Which was why this news was going to be such a shock to him.

You broke yourself out of your thoughts and threw your arms around your fathers torso. This unexpected sign of affection had thrown Taron completely off, having been so distant with each other over the past few months. Taron hadn’t thought much of it, passing it off as being normal teenage hormones. As your grip tightened against him, you were content that he didn’t try to release himself from you, instead he’d returned the favour. For a moment, in his arms, you felt like a five year old girl again, with your father protecting you from the big wide world.

“I love you so much Gracie,” Taron silently whispered against your ear, his tone empathetic, as though trying to seek for forgiveness. Releasing your grip, you soon moved to finally face your father directly.

“and I love you too.” You said with a small smile on your face, as you gripped the pregnancy test tightly in your hand unbeknownst to Taron. You took a step back and wrapped your arms around your back. “You know you can talk to me right?” Taron said with a frown on his head as he examined your tear stricken face.

“I know dad.” You said with a slight nod as you looked down at the rug on the floor beneath your feet. You couldn’t bring yourself to look him in the eye again. The air started to grow tense. You were so thankful when you heard your dads mobile ring back in his office. You watched Taron’s feet shuffle not knowing where to turn. “I’m okay, I promise.” you used all your strength to convince him, “Go and answer the phone. It could be important.” You could see the wheels turning in your father’s head. You could see him mulling over your words before nodding. You watched him turn on his heels and walk back into his office. You stood and listened in to his half of the conversation for a moment before escaping back into the safety of your room.

The second you closed your bedroom door you pulled the pregnancy test out of your sleeve and placed it on top of the set of drawers next to your bed. You sat on the edge of the bed and closed your eyes for a moment. Your heart was pounding painfully against your ribs and your nerves were going haywire. That’s when it hit you. The reality of your situation. You’re 16 and pregnant. You’re had no connection to the baby’s father. You could barely remember his name. If you decide to keep the baby, you’d be a single mother. Yes, you would have your parents support, but was this something you wanted? Did you have what it takes to raise a child on your own? Do you even want the child? At 16? You didn’t know. But you needed to give yourself time to figure it out. But you also knew keeping it a secret from everyone would be impossible. It was bound to slip eventually.

You didn’t know how much time passed, but you were shaken from your paralysed state when you heard a knock at your bedroom door. “Grace?” You heard your mothers voice call out, you looked up at the door as it started to open. “Are you okay? Your dad said you were…” You jumped off the bed and ran towards the door, but it was too late.

“Gracie,” She said as her eyes were instantly drawn to the familiar white and blue packaging of a Clear Blue pregnancy test. She let out a small gasp, walking closer to her daughter. “Is that what I think it is?” She whispered with a sharp tone. You nodded as you felt hot tears boil up in your eyes once again.

Your mum walked over to the bedside table and looked down at the two lines on the stick. Her face crumpled as she covered her mouth with her hand, glancing over at you. You continued to cry as your mum just wrapped her arms around you, pulling you into a tight hug. “I’m sorry.” You managed to mutter.

“Shh, it’s okay honey.” She soothed as she battled her own tears. It brought back so many memories for her. “It’s okay. Everything’s gonna be okay.” Your mum guided you onto the bed, her sitting beside you. You found the strength to look up at her. You could see the hurt in her eyes. The pain. The memories.

“Mum, I’m so sorry, I…” But your mother was quick to interrupt, “…I know you are.”

You shook your head, swallowing the heavy lump in your throat. “I-I only took the test because my period was a few days late, I only had sex once, I promise! A few weeks ago and-and-and I-I started getting sick and-and…” You started to cry even harder. “I-I-I’m so s-scared.”

Your mother held you in her arms for the first time in years, you had always gone to Taron if you were upset. It felt comforting to have her by your side. You felt yourself relax under your mothers touch. The way she stroked your hair lulled you into a peaceful sleep. As Lily absentmindedly stroked your hair; she thought back to when she had found out she was pregnant with you.

****

“You think you’re what?” Taron asked, his face as white as a sheet. Lily held her head up high and grit her teeth trying to stay strong. “I think I might be pregnant.” She repeated. They had only been together officially for four months, they had mutual friends back in Aberystwyth and had finally been introduced when they both moved to London. They had clicked straight away. Taron fell instantly in love. He knew she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. But he had never expected things to move this quickly.

“I have a test in my bag.” Lily announced as she walked closer to Taron, who was currently sat frozen on his bed. “I wanted to take it with you. I couldn’t do it on my own. I couldn’t bring myself to do it and find out I’m pregnant and then I’d have to find the strength to tell you and…”

Taron shook his head and brought himself back into reality. He reached out and guided Lily to sit on his thigh. “Whatever happens, just know I love you and I want this to work. Yes it’s quick, but that doesn’t change my love for you. If it is positive then I will be there every step of the way.” His words, filled Lily with love and joy.

Moments after taking the test, she walked back into the bedroom, stick on hand. “And?” Taron asked standing when he saw Lily enter.

“We have to wait a couple of minutes. Can you set a timer?” Lily placed the test down on the bed next to her and tried to steady to shaky breath. She watched as Taron paced the floor impatiently, chewing on his fingernail in distress. Watching him pace made Lily feel dizzy and stressed. She looked at her hands, rubbing them together as a distraction. This wasn’t what she had planned. She never imagined she would ever get herself in this situation. Taron and Lily were still getting to know each other. They had planned to introduce each other to their families when they went home for Christmas break. Perhaps, now it would hold more meaning.

Taron looked over at Lily and tears simmered up in his eyes. She looked so small. Helpless. It made him feel guilty. He walked over and sat at her feet. He picked up her hands and kissed them over and over causing her to release a small giggle, it brought music to his ears. Just as he looked up at her and smiled, his timer went off. Dread filled them both. “I love you. Very much.” Taron whispered before leaning up and placing a simple kiss on Lily’s lips.

****

Snapping out of her thoughts, Lily slipped away from your grip and went downstairs only to bump into her husband. “Hey.” Taron said as his wife walked into the living room. “How’s Grace? Is she okay now?” “No.” She answered coldly, before realising it wasn’t her place to tell her husband. “I need to pop out.” Lily said quickly as she slid her shoes on, picked up her bag and left leaving Taron just as confused and stunned as he had been earlier.

Lily made her way to the local supermarket and walked directly down to the pharmacy section. She picked up as many pregnancy tests as she could before making her way back home. The second Lily arrived home, Taron hurried towards her. “Where did you go? What’s going on?” He questioned and looked down at the plastic bag in her hand.

“I had to go and get some stuff for Gracie.” This comment made Taron frown in questioning. Lily placed her hand on Taron’s chest and placed a delicate kiss on his lips before running back upstairs to her daughter.

Lily quietly opened her daughters bedroom door and walked over to you. She shook you gently trying to wake you. It didn’t take long for your eyes to spring open. “Gracie. I need you to take these.” Your mum said as she emptied contents of the plastic bag onto your bed. Your eyes were met with a number of different pregnancy tests staring back at you, you picked one up to examine it closer.

“Please don’t make me do this…” You said, throwing the box back as if it had burnt you. You sighed deeply, thinking about your dad, how disappointed he was going to be. What would you say to him? “hey dad, I had a one-night stand with some guy I don’t know and now I’m knocked up!” Yeah, because that’ll go over really well.

Your mum looked at you with a stone cold look on her face, “Grace, you have no choice! Go and take them. Now.” You gulped and nodded, reluctantly picking up the tests and walking straight into the bathroom.

Your heart was hammered behind your ribcage, even though your previous test had been positive, you still couldn’t stop your hands from shaking. What if it was a false positive? This would decide the rest of your life. These little, plastic sticks. You had made your choice, now you had to face the consequences.

You left the bathroom, tests in hand. You walked back into your bedroom and closed the door. You placed them next to your mum and held your arms close to you body, hugging yourself.

Three minutes seemed like an eternity when you’re waiting for your future to be determined. As the results came in; Lily’s knees buckled. A plus sign. Six pregnancy tests. Six positive results. You watched her shoulders and head drop as she released her tears. Your mothers’ hands shook. Tears streamed down her face as she came to terms with the fact a baby was growing inside of her baby.

If this was your mothers reaction, you couldn’t bare to see your fathers. You were his sweet little girl with a baby on the way.


	2. Part 2

Taron knocked on your bedroom door and waited. He impatiently knocked again, and again. When you didn’t answer he slowly opened the door; only to be surprised to see the room empty. He frowned to himself and closed the door back up before heading down the corridor to the family bathroom. As he enters he noticed a piece of paper tucked neatly underneath the stand alone sink. He huffed loudly to himself before bending over and picking it up. As he picked it up, the bright blue lettering caught his attention.

“Shit.” He whispered to himself before taking a closer look. 

A bright smile appeared on his face when he suddenly realised what this meant. He quickly left the bathroom and hurried down the stairs to find his wife. Taron practically ran into the kitchen, scooped his wife up and kissed her face over and over, causing Lily to squeal loudly.

“What on earth has gotten into you?” Lily laughed when Taron finally placed her back on the ground.

Taron placed both his hands around Lily’s face, gently covering her ears. His eyes were beaming with love for her. Lily looked at him with a confused expression. Taron was just about to open his mouth when they both heard the front door open and close. Lily pulled herself away from Taron briefly as you entered the house after taking Nelly out for a short walk.

“Dinner in half an hour, Grace.” Your mum called out before you ran back up to the safety of your room.

Taron came back over to Lily and wrapped his arms around her waist. “When were you going to tell me?” His voice was low and flirty.

Lily felt her heart stop in her chest. “Tell you what?” She asked cautiously, not fully following her husband.

“That we’re going to have another baby.” He said gently, unable to contain his smile any longer.

Lily couldn’t stop the little gasp from escaping her mouth. “Tan? What do you mean?” She asked not wanted to give away too much with her stiff body language. Taron released himself away from Lily before showing her the Blue Clear instruction manual he had found on the floor. Lily’s eyes widened when she saw what was in his hand. She knew she couldn’t lie for you, the truth was going to have to come out at some point.

“Tan…” Lily started with a slight quiver in her voice. “That’s…not mine.”

Taron released a light chuckle before saying, “Well, who’s is it then?”

Lily looked up at him with large sympathetic eyes. It took him a moment for things to click. His face dropped from excitement to anger. His whole demeanour changed. He pulled himself away from Lily before practically running to the bottom of the stairs.

“Grace!” your father’s voice ripped up the stairs and through the empty hallways. “Get down here right now!” He sounded enraged. Your heart leaped in fear. You dropped everything you were doing and dragged yourself down the stairs to see your fathers face, his eyes were fierce.

“Take a seat.” Taron said pointing at the sofa, not exactly in a ‘if you want to’ voice but a ‘you better park your arse right here, or you else you’ll regret it’ voice. Slowly, you sat down. Your heart sank, you couldn’t even look him in the eyes. “Grace,” Taron began, trying to get your attention. “You’ve got two minutes to tell me what the hell is going on,” his voice was shaking.

“What are you talking about?” your eyebrows furrowed, you looked over at your mother who was stood in the corner of the room.

“Is this yours? Are you pregnant?” He asked as he uncurled his fist to better reveal the pregnancy test manual he was holding.

You clenched your jaw and let a heartbeat pass before slowly nodding, keeping your teary eyes down. You couldn’t look at him. You watched from your peripheral vision as he shook his head, “How...how could you let this happen?”

“Dad, I’m sorry- I...I didn’t want this to happen,” You said, trying to make things right even though you knew they were far from it.

Taron held his tightly fisted hand close to his lips, “you know...I questioned your mother first because-” he stopped himself mid-sentence and laughed unamused to himself. “Never in a million years did I think this could be yours.”

You wrung your hands in your lap, watching him nervously as tears fell from your eyes. For the first time since you’d come downstairs, he looked you in the eyes. They were sad. So sad and fatherly you couldn’t handle it. You both were frozen in silence, your sobs being the only sound in the room.

“Get out….” Taron snapped, finally breaking the ice in the room. He looked positively furious; his eyes were darker then you'd ever seen them and his face had darkened from red to an almost purple colour.

“What?” Lily shouted as she walked further into the room. “No…”

“Get out! I want her out! After everything I’ve done for you. This is how you repay me?” Taron shouted causing you only to cry louder and harder. You stood up feeling light headed and shaken. Leaning against the edge of the sofa for support, you somehow managed to find your way out of the room and half way up the stairs when you jumped at the sound of the front door being slammed. The sound made you collapse in a heap on the stairs. The tears burning your face, stinging every pore. You struggled to catch your breath as you started to panic.

Taron had to take himself off. He couldn’t believe the news he had just heard, but he also couldn’t believe the way he was acting. His emotions were rife. He didn’t know how to feel exactly. He was so incredibly protective of you and he felt like he hadn’t done his job. He didn’t protect you. You still had your whole life in front of you. The thought of his beautiful daughter getting up to such acts made his stomach turn. How could someone take advantage of her in such a way. In his head she was still his tiny little girl. And now, she was about to become a mother herself.

As Taron walked to cool off, he thought back to when he found out that Lily was pregnant and the joy and fear that he had felt. He could imagine how you felt. He remember how terrified he was to tell his mum. She had done everything to protect and look after him, he had never felt so ashamed in that moment telling her. Of course she was supportive and loved every moment of becoming a grandparent. Just like he would, some day, because you were everything that he had always wanted and never knew that he needed.

****

“Mum, there’s something Lily and I would like to tell you.” Taron starts and thickly swallows, Lily’s grip tightens around his hand. Taron looked at her for encouragement, even though he knew she was just as terrified. 

“I-I…I’m…pregnant-” Lily stuttered.

Tina’s eye widened briefly, before blinking then narrowing a little, a smile showing the lack of belief. However, when there was no “Joking!” or “Got ya!” to follow the bold statement, her smile dissolved, horror showing plain as day.

“What do you mean you’re pregnant?” Guy asked nervously as Tina sat back against the sofa and staring off into space for a few moments taking in then news that had just been announced.

Taron’s heart began to race, he started to breathe rapidly, panicking of what was yet to come. He had a feeling his mum was going to explode at him. She had always taught him to use protection. She had raised him all by herself when Taron’s parents broke up. Taron knew the struggles she went through to give him the opportunities he had.

Guy looks up at his stepson, rubbing his hands together. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. We went to doctors the other day who confirmed it.” Lily butted in, trying to take some strain off Taron.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Tina ran her hand through her hair before standing up. She walked over to Lily and tells her to stand up. Lily anxiously rises to her feet. Taron watches with wide eyes, unsure of what his mother was going to do and say. The tension was released with Tina pulled Lily into a warm hug. Taron pushed himself up and pulled his mother into a hug moments after.

“You’re not mad?” He asked in a low voice.

“No. I’m just disappointed, because you have your whole life ahead of you, but I’m your mother and I’ve always promised to support you in any way I can.” She says as tears start to cradle in her eyes.

****

When Taron finally arrived back at the house, he takes a moment to compose himself before entering. The downstairs was empty, dinner still half made in the kitchen. Taron quietly walks up the stairs, taking each step in slowly. He hears the slight mutterings coming from inside your bedroom.

As he approaches your bedroom, he stands silently in the doorway, taking in the scene before him. After a moment or two he walks over to take your hand, squeezing it gently to make sure you knew he were there. Meeting your father’s eyes, your heart shattered, knowing how much you’d failed him. Especially after he had worked so hard to give you the life that you deserved.

“How many tests did you take?” Your father said in an almost whisper.

You dried your tears softly. Your quivering hand reached down to open a drawer next to your bed, pulling out the tests you’d kept hidden away. Taron couldn’t look down, keeping his scared eyes on yours or Lily’s the whole time.

“I’m scared dad, and I need you and mum around me right now. I just don’t want to let you down,” you confess.

His eyes fell on the tests widening, not expecting there to be so many. Instinctively, he gasped, horrified. He always thought you would be careful and take precautions, especially at such a vulnerable age, but when he saw the tears continue to fall, he knew he needed to be there. He needed to be a father. It was his job. Especially after the way he had just reacted.

“You know that you could never let me down, and nothing will change that.” he comforted, kneeling in front of you, resting his hands on your legs. Just like he had done when Lily found out she was pregnant with you. “I think we all need to have a bit of a talk though; don’t you think?”

You nodded slowly, slightly taken aback by the comforting approach your father now took. Inside, he was raging, but his anger wasn’t the solution to this situation. He knew his previous behaviour had been out of order but unfortunately he could take it back. “I’m sorry dad.” You blurted out.

“Don’t say that,” he requested shaking his head, “you don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

Your mum smiled softly, turning to face you. She nodded lightly, pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head. “Just because you’re pregnant, doesn’t change the fact we still love you endlessly.”

“You’re not mad at me?” You whimpered, looking between the two of your parents. Of course, there was an element of worry, you were still learning and growing, leaning on the two of them. But they couldn’t tell you that, neither of them wanted to make things worse for you. You were fragile, scared, not just as you thought to the future, but the worried expression evidently on show on Taron’s face.

“I think we’re both just a little bit surprised sweetheart, but maybe this could be the making of you, just because you’re a young mum doesn’t mean you can’t be the best mum in the world. Your dad and I managed, but we were slightly older.”

“I don’t think I can do this by myself, will the two of you be with me through it all?” You asked, looking at you both through tear-stained eyes.

Despite how shocked he was, there was no way Taron could ever abandon his only child, and now, his grandchild. “Listen to me closely, your mum and I are going to be with you every step of the way, whenever you need something, we’ll be there for you. It’s going to be hard, and at times you’ll probably just want to give up, but we’re a family, and we’ll get through this together. Even when you’re throwing up in the early hours of the morning or staying awake because the baby is wriggling.”

“Your dad used to stay up with me, massaging my tummy trying to stop you wriggling around.” Your mums comment made your dad blush. “D-do you have any idea who the father of your baby is?” Your mum asked changing the mood back to a more serious tone.

“Y-yeah,” You stuttered, your eyes flickering to Taron. Straight away he knew there was more to things, but right now, he didn’t want to push it, simply offering you a warming smile. You didn’t want to provoke him any further. That was a conversation for another day, but father or not, Taron would step up whenever he needed, the early mornings and late nights, he’d never leave you to suffer alone.

“We’re going to be the greatest team, you don’t have to face any of this alone, not if you don’t want to, we’ll always be here to support you,” Taron assured you as he kissed the back of your hand.

“Thank you for both being so incredible about all of this, you really are the greatest parents in the world.”

“It might not be ideal, but we’re family, and we stick together no matter what. We’ll make this work, just like we always do,” Your mother whispered.

After a moment, Taron stood up and encompassed you in a crushing hug. “You’re my baby girl, and I love you so much.” your father spoke softly, his voice breaking. You felt a tear fall onto your shoulder, causing you to cry harder. “It’s hard to watch you grow up. It’s hard to see you start a family of your own. When I look at you, I still see my little girl,” he pulled you even closer, crying harder into your shoulder.


	3. Part 3

It took a couple of weeks for the tension in the Egerton household to cool down. Little sparks to arguments would abrupt out of nowhere due to the added stress that had been piled onto the family. Everyone tried to pretend everything was normal. You tried the hardest. Distracting yourself with school, homework, spending time with friends— you really tried. You had too. Even half-assing your attempt at normalcy would be enough to stop your emotions from crushing you. You felt like you were on a constant battle with your anxiety, which wasn’t helping your nausea.

You slowly walked down the stairs to find Taron sprawled out on the sofa. He was absentmindedly staring at the background on his phone, which you knew was an old throwback photo of the three of you, it was one he hadn’t changed for years. The picture always made him smile. As you stood silently watching, you felt your stomach lurch and bile rise up into your throat. Holding a hand firmly to your mouth, you stumbled your way back up the stairs, and hurry to the nearest toilet. Even though the distance between the stairs and the bathroom wasn’t very long, you barely made it to the toilet before you start vomiting. And it was probably the most intense vomiting session you’d ever had.

It only took a few minutes before you felt your dads calming presence by your side. He quickly grabbed your hair and hushed gentle words of support in your ear. Just like he had every single time you got sick. Just like he had with Lily. He ran his hand smoothly across your back making you instantly feel better. Once you finally finished, and were no longer dry heaving, you leant back on your knees. You try to catch your breath, brushing some tiny strands of hair from your sweaty face.

“Better?” Taron asked as you finally opened your eyes. You slowly nod your hair, not wanting to make any rapid movements incase they brought on another round of vomiting. Your dad had been there every step of the way, just like he had promised you. “Here, drink this.” He said as he pressed a cold glass to your lips. You took small sips of the water, washing the taste from your mouth. “Let me go and make you a green tea, you can sip on it in the car on the way to your appointment.”

You were thankful he was going to be there with you at your first appointment that afternoon. You didn’t think you could manage it on your own. While you were excited to go, you also felt nervous. What if something goes wrong? You can’t help but wonder — worry — that something will go horribly wrong and you’re not ready to deal with that. Certainly not on your own.

When you arrived for your appointment, you went over and signed in before relaxing into the waiting room with your dad. You looked around at all the other expectant parents. You could feel Taron stiffen as he looked around too. He was nervous for you. He wasn’t ready to become a grandparent in his late 30’s. Hell he thought his wife was pregnant not his daughter. But if he hadn’t got Lily pregnant so early, he wouldn’t be in this situation. Yet, he wouldn’t change it for the world. You were his world.

Fifteen minutes later your name was called and you both followed a tall thin lady into a room. You sat on the edge of the bed as you swung your feet back and forth looking at all the posters on the walls that talked about pregnancy, cervical dilation, and menstrual cycles. A few moments later; gentle knock on the door makes you flinch, your eyes snapping to the door as you watched it open. An older woman, with grey dark hair and a kind face, comes in and looks at you and Taron.

“Hi,” she says. “Grace?” You nod, she gives a warm smile, closes the door and sits across from you. “Hello, I’m Mary, I will be your ultrasound technician today. And this is…” She slowed her speech down as she looked to Taron with thin eyes.

“Hello, I’m her dad. I’m here for moral support.” He said as he replied with a short sharp smile.

“Wonderful.” She replied before turning back to you. She explained everything that was going to happen. It had been worked out that you were about 9-10 weeks pregnant. You sat and listened, trying to take in everything that she was saying. She instructs you to lie back against the bed. You lift your shirt up and flinch from the cold gel as it makes contact with your skin. You gulp with anxiety. Your eyes dart across the white clinical ceiling. Taron got up from his chair and went to the side of the bed, grabbing hold of his daughters hand before raising to place a gentle kiss on the back of it.

You both sat in silence watching every move the technician made on your flat stomach. It took you a moment to realise that you were holding your breath. You closed your eyes and tried to relax into the moment the best you could. You kept them closed until you heard your dad release a little audible gasp. You opened your eyes and looked at the tiny form on the screen.

“That’s it right?” You questioned with a slight shake in your voice.

“Yep, that’s your baby.” She replied with a smile on her face. As you stared at the screen, it filled you with such joy, you couldn’t even begin to put it into words.

“Can we hear the heartbeat?” Taron asked, as he squeezed your hand.

“Sure. Let me just…” Mary pushed a button and within seconds the sounds of the baby’s heart beating echo around the room. “That sounds like a very strong heartbeat to me.”

“Wow.” Was all you could say. You felt tears forming in your eyes. You had made that. That was your baby. Yours.

“It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?” Taron asked whilst rubbing the top of your hand. “I remember when I heard your heartbeat for the first time.”

****

“Tan, are you okay?” Lily whispered turning to Taron who was loudly tapping his foot on the squeaky floor.

“Oh, um, yeah, everything's fine. All good. Are you okay?”

The second those words escaped his lips, he couldn't help but feel guilty. He wasn’t even sure why. It's not like he was lying. But he was feeling nervous. Really nervous. But that was normal right? Because according to the books he'd been reading, first time parents - or any parents actually - felt nervous for this. To be fair, it was more like a 'good' nervous; where he's happy and eager, but still getting butterflies in his stomach.

But the bottom line was that he's happy and excited. And why wouldn't he be? It's the first time he was going to see his baby, and he has been looking forward to this day ever since learning about Lily’s pregnancy. It's still weird to him - they're having a baby. A baby! A tiny little version of them.

Thats when it hit them - the sound they've been waiting to hear. Taron and Lily both had that classic excited-but-nervous expression on their faces. There's one moment when they try to laugh, but then they immediately go back to being serious. They just listen to the pattern - dum-dum-dum-dum-dum…

“I-Is that…?” Taron started. His face must have been a picture.

“That’s your baby's heartbeat,” the doctor answered with a smile, already anticipating the question. “And that, right there, is your baby.”

They both turned their attention to the monitor in front of them, the doctor pointing at a particular spot. To put it simply, there's a little blob that seems to be moving infrequently and producing the sound that is reverberating off the walls in the room. But that blob and that sound was Lily and Taron's world. That was the product of their love for each other. The start of their life together.

“That's the baby?” Lily says gently. It wasn't intended as a question, but that's way it came out because she can't believe it either. There's a baby!

“That's right. And so far everything looks good and healthy... I'll give you two some time alone.” They silently thanked the doctor as she left them alone, with the image of their baby still on the screen. The parents still in awe. They didn’t blink once. Not wanting the image to suddenly disappear. They'd read books on pregnancy, and they'd watched shows with a pregnancy plot line, and they'd been told by their own mothers how it feels. But none of those were able to compete with this feeling that they had. 

The warmth, the love. Lily was barely able to hold it all together, letting the happy tears stream down her cheeks the moment the couple are alone. “That’s our baby T,' Lily whispered while trying to compose herself.

But Taron didn’t respond. He was transfixed on the monitor. Not showing any emotion either, which wasn't like him. “That’s our baby…” He murmured in disbelief.

****

You and Taron got to see and hear the baby for a few more minutes as the technician took photographs for you to keep. A few moments later the technician turned off the machine and handed you a paper towel to wipe the gel off your stomach. “Everything looks good.” She hands you a line of ultrasound pictures, and you feel a whirlwind of emotions inside you. Taron smiles at you as get sit back up on the bed, “You’ll have another appointment in a few weeks time, in the meantime I want you to start taking these prenatal vitamins, these with help with the development of the baby as well as your health during the pregnancy.”

“Okay. Thank you.” You say as you jump off the bed and collect your belongings.

“No problem. I’ll see you guys soon. Have a good rest of the day.” She guides you out of the room. You thank her and leave the room with the Ultrasound pictures in your trembling hands.

You and your dad walk silently back to the car. You climb into the passenger side, still staring down at the pictures of your little blob. You felt like you were having an out of body experience. You couldn’t believe it. Taron turned the engine of the car on and turned to look at you before driving off. He leant over and placed a little kiss on the top of your head.

“Come on. Let’s go and show your mum.” You looked over at him and smiled. You couldn’t have done this without him.


	4. Part 4

As weeks past, you slowly begun to tell your friends about the pregnancy. The first person you had told had been your best friend Jake. You had grown up with Jake, your parents had meet at toddler play group when you were both only a few months old. You had been so thankful that Jake had been supportive, he was shocked at first but warmed to the idea of become an ‘Uncle’. He had held your hand when you finally decided to tell the rest of your friendship group, whom were also lovely and supportive. 

Even though telling friends had been tough, you knew that today was going to be even harder. Today you were finally going to break the news to the rest of the family. You knew they’d be supportive, just like your parents, but that still didn’t take away the anxiety and stress it caused.

“Gracie?” Taron called out when he heard a door slam shut upstairs. It had taken him by surprise and shook him from his thoughts. You ignored him and continued to violently brush your knotted hair. “Are you okay?” He asked from the other side of the door lightly tapped his knuckles against the wood.

“Come in.” You called.

Over the last few weeks, the only items of clothing you’d worn had been stupidly oversized hoodies and sweats. So for Taron to see his daughter wearing something more fitted took him off guard. His eyes were instantly drawn to her small bump that had been purposely hidden.

The dress you were wearing was suffocating. It clung tightly around your body, you found yourself repeatedly pulling the fabric away from your stomach. It frustrated you knowing that it didn’t fit, it had always been way too big before. You suddenly hid your face in your hands, fighting back the tears.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Taron asked coming closer to you. You looked into the mirror and pulled at the dress. “What wrong with it?” He innocently asked.

“It’s not the dress-” 

“Then what’s wrong?” He jumped in with a soothing voice.

“Can you let me finish?” You snapped resulting in Taron huffing at you and shuffling on both feet before nodding and encouraging you to continue.

“It’s not the dress, it’s what I look like in the dress…”

“Stop.” He held his hands up.

“But…” You started.

“I said stop!” He said sternly. “Listen to me Gracie. You look so beautiful in this dress and look at you now and I am so proud that you’re my daughter. Please don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

“Dad…”

“I am serious Grace.” Taron placed his hands on your shoulders and looked deeply into your eyes.

“But it just doesn’t fit anymore. Urgh! Can you please just go away!” You suddenly snap causing Taron to freeze and frown. “What don’t you get? Dad go away!” You shout pointing at the door, you start to feel your blood boil up inside you.

Taron’s face dropped, “Excuse me? What did you just say?”

“I’m not going to repeat myself.” Taron scoffed under his breath, “Grace, don’t speak to me like that! I don’t know what’s gotten into you but this behaviour is completely unacceptable and I’m not having it any more.” Taron quickly left the room before storming outside to where Lily and Nelly were bathing in the bright sunshine.

You felt guilty for being so rude. You knew you needed to apologise. You closed your eyes and let out a loud dramatic sigh before scratching at your dress again.

—

Outside, Taron was discussing the series of events with Lily. “Don’t you remember the petty little arguments we used to have? Just give her time and I’m sure she will apologise. If not, I’ll go and talk to her. Look Tan, I am sick and tired of her unnecessary comments too, but we just have to take a deep breath and give her time.” She said as she calmly sipped at her cup of tea.

****

Lily quietly walked into the bathroom, standing for a moment before opening her mouth “Hi.”

“Oh do I have to go, because my girlfriend doesn’t want me to be around her anymore, or do I get a chance to finish showering?” Taron knew the comment was bitter and unnecessary but he couldn’t pretend he wasn’t upset or annoyed at his girlfriends actions.

Lily sighed feeling guilty for her actions earlier that morning. “Taron, I’m sorry. I really am. I didn’t mean it.” This caused Taron to scoff even more as he washed the shampoo out his hair.

“You know what, maybe you should just leave because…”

“Taron! I said I was sorry didn’t I?! My hormones are all over the place at the moment! You know that! Happy one moment, crying the next. I can’t help it!” Silence cascaded over the bathroom. The only sound heard was the water hitting the floor of the shower. Moments after, Taron climbed out of the shower.

Lily thought Taron was going to leave but he grabbed a towel, wrapped it around himself before kneeling beside her. “I’m sorry too.” He rubbed the edge of the towel over his face catching the falling droplets. “This is all so new to me and I’m really trying to be there for you and the baby. I’m sorry too. I should be more understanding.” He admitted before playing a soft wet kiss on your lips.

“I didn’t want to upset you. I just snap over stupid things.” Lily pressed her dry hands against his damp cheeks and placed another kiss on his lips. “I promise I do want to be around you. You make me so happy. I can’t even begin to explain the love I have for you and I can’t wait to bring this baby into such a loving family. 

Lily’s words made Taron blush and smile. “I promise, I am going to do everything I can to provide for you and our family.”


	5. Part 5

You take a moment to compose yourself and calm your nerves before taking one last glance at yourself in the mirror. You force a smile onto your face hoping that it would release some endorphins. You grab your converse and slide them on your feet before picking up your bag and slowly and cautiously walking down the stairs. You knew that you would have to face the backlash of your comments to your father at some point. You had unnecessarily snapped at him when he was trying to reassure you and make you feel loved.

As you reached the bottom of the stairs, you heard mutterings of voices out in the garden. You walked into the open planned kitchen and walked through the open bifold doors which lead out into the sunny garden. You watched Nelly sprinting around the garden with her ball. That brought a real smile to your face.

It was your mum who noticed your first, “Come to join us have you?” She said before sipping at her tea. You watched as your dad purposely didn’t turn to greet you. He continued to watch as the dog raced up and down the garden. You took a big breath before walking over to the seating area and sitting in one of the spare seats.

“Dad, I’m sorry.” You said as bravely as you could. This caused Taron to look at you coldly. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you. You were trying to make me feel better and I, in return, made you feel bad. Which I shouldn’t have done.”

“Look, Grace. I love you to pieces and I understand that your hormones are changing but I am still your father and you can’t talk to me like that.” You looked at the ground, a little line of ants caught your attention. Watching them meant you didn’t have to look at your father in the face.

“I know and I’m sorry.” You said, eyes still on the ground.

“Okay you two. We really need to get going now or else we are going to be late.” Your mum chimed in as she stood up from her seat.

You looked up and saw your father examining you. You pushed yourself up and walked over to your dad causing him to stand too. You wrapped your arms around his waist and held him close. “I love you dad.” You said quietly, you weren’t even sure if it was loud enough for him to hear which meant it caught you by surprise when he returned the love.

—

The walk to your grandparents didn’t take long at all. You only lived a few streets away from each other. Living so close had always been such a privilege as you had spent so much time with Rosie and Mari as you grew up. Having Aunts’ a similar age to you had always been strange but it also meant you were ridiculously close. It was probably their reaction you were most anxious for.

As you approached the front door, you felt your heart race with anticipation. You watched as your dad knocked on the door and let himself in. You followed in slowly with your mum close behind. You heard a rumble of voices coming from the garden, as a family you all walked outside to greet everyone. Smiles and hugs were exchanged as everyone greeted each other again. Guy’s children were also there with their young children, which you hadn’t expected to see. The smell of a classic BBQ was wafting in the air, which didn’t help with the queasiness of anxiety you already had.

It didn’t take long for everyone to settle down and the conversation to start flowing. You were chatting to Rosie and Mari about their university applications and things going on in their friendship group. You smiled, listened and stayed quiet for the majority of it, only speaking when you were asked a question. Your eyes glanced over to your father who was chatting away with his mother. You knew you would have to break the news at some point. Taron felt eyes burning on him and looked over to you and nodded slightly in reassurance. You nodded back, knowing what he was aiming at. It was time.

“Can I get everyone attention for a moment?” Taron announced, his eyes still on you trying to make you feel safe. But, it wasn’t helping. You felt the blood rush to your cheeks in despair. Everyone fell silent and looked at Taron. All waiting to see what news he was going to break.

The world around you felt dizzy, but you found your mouth moving and making sounds without you even being aware. “I have some news.” Everyones eyes switched from Taron towards you.

“So.. I’m.. I..Um... I’m pregnant.” Your eyes never left your fathers. You felt that if your eyes broke contact, you would be exposed to the shock and shame that everyone felt around you.

“Wait.. What?” Rosie pipped up. “This is a joke right?” She asked with a slightly giggle in her voice.

You shook your head, “It’s not a joke.” You felt everyones eyes burn into you.

“Really?” Guy asked in shock, turning to look at Taron. He broke eye contact and looked over at Guy and smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I’m going to be a grandfather. You’re going to be great-grandparents!”

The loss of your safety net of your fathers eyes meant you had to look around and view everyones expressions. “Yep.” You swallowed a lump in your throat but struggled because your mouth was so dry. “I’m going to have a baby.” You placed a hand carelessly on your stomach to accentuate your point.

“Oh shit.” You heard Mari mutter under her breath, only making you sweat more. You didn’t want to know what was going through her head.

The person who looked shocked the most was Tina. “How far along are you?” She asked with a croak in her voice. Her thoughts and feeling were written all over her face.

“Um, I have a.. uh…” You picked up your bag and pulled out an ultrasound picture you packed. You held it up and positioned it in her direction.

“Wow! Congratulations!” You heard Guy’s daughter Sophie reply before getting up and pulling you into a hug. She could clearly sense your anxiety. The human contact made you want to burst into tears. You felt like you could cut the tension with a knife. You hated it. But you knew you had to rip the bandaid off and tell everyone. Sooner rather than later.

“Who’s the father?” Mari asked rather loudly.

“It wasn’t planned…” You say trying to defend yourself.

“You don’t need to explain to us; we’re your family and we’re here to support you.” Guy said as he stood up and hugged you too. You watched Guy stand up and congratulate your parents. This made your eyes rejoin with Tinas’. She looked so disappointed in you.

You built up the courage and walked over to her, as everyone slowly started to converse again. You sat down in your fathers seat which was now empty and turned to look at your grandmother. “I know you’re disappointed.” You announce quietly.

“Gracie, I’m not disappointed.” She says with slight tears in her eyes. “I just know how hard it’s going to be.” You felt tears burning in your eyes listening to her. “It was hard for me when I had Taron, and you know how hard it was for your parents. You know that we are going to be here for you no matter what though. I promise you Gracie. Look around, look at this wonderful loving family that we have. We are all here to support you.” Tina took your hand in hers. “We love you, and this new little one.” You hadn’t noticed your dad coming back over until he placed his hand on your arm.

“It’s true Gracie, we love you and this baby.” You instantly felt yourself calm at your grandmother and father words.

“But I’m certainly not going to be called grand-grandmother! I’m not old enough for that yet!” She said trying to lighten the mood which brought a slight smile to your face.

You looked around at your large crazy family and knew that everything would be okay. Because you had them!


End file.
